Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga men's tennis team fell 7-0 to a strong Middle Tennessee team Friday afternoon at Nashboro Village in Nashville, Tenn.

 

The Blue Raiders swept through the doubles to gain the first point of the match. Chattanooga Pavel Vostrikov and Peter Sauska fell to Robert McKenzie and John Peers at the No. 1 spot by an 8-4 margin. In the No. 2 doubles match, Matthew Langley and Victor Melo defeated the Mocs' Alex Butnarcuic and Dakota Pate 8-3 while Rick van de Bovenkamp and Sam Parfitt fell 8-4 to Richard Cowden and Morgan Richard at No. 3.

 

In the singles matches, the Mocs came closest to gaining a point at the No. 2 match between Vostrikov and Peers.

 

“It was by far the best performance of the day for us,” UTC head coach Carlos Garcia said. “Pavel played strong and hung in there with the No. 1 player from last year's squad.”

 

Peers won the first set 6-3, but Vostrikov bounced back and outlasted him 7-6 to take the second set.

 

“Basically it came down to a tie-break,” Garcia said.

 

Peers won the point with a 10-8 super tie-break.

 

Butnarcuic was swept 6-0, 6-0 by McKenzie at the No. 3 spot to put MTSU up 2-0 followed by van de Bovenkamp's loss at No. 4 to Richard, 6-3, 6-1. The deciding point came when Pate fell 6-1, 6-3 to Langley at No. 5.

 

Middle Tennessee's Melo posted a 6-2 win over Chattanooga's Sauska at the top spot before Vostrikov's match was decided at No. 2. Mid-year newcomer Parfitt made his collegiate debut playing the No. 6 spot for Chattanooga and fell 6-3, 6-4 to Cowden.

 

“It was a good start even though disappointing,” Garcia said. “I thought we played hard and learned what we need to do. Hats off to Middle who ought to get back into the rankings.”

 

The Mocs will be on the road next weekend at the Eastern Kentucky Invitational where they'll play Xavier on Friday and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.

 

 

SINGLES

1. Victor Melo (MTSU) def. Peter Sauska (UTC), 6-2, 6-3

2. John Peers (MTSU) def. Pavel Vostrikov (UTC) 6-3, 6-7, 10-8

3. Robert McKenzie (MTSU) def. Alex Butnarcuic (UTC) 6-0, 6-0

4. Morgan Richard (MTSU) def. Rick van de Bovenkamp (UTC) 6-3. 6-1

5. Matthew Langley (MTSU) def. Dakota Pate (UTC) 6-1, 6-3

6. Richard Cowden (MTSU) def. Sam Parfitt (UTC) 6-3,6 -4

 

DOUBLES

1. McKenzie/Peers (MTSU) def. Vostrikov/Sauska (UTC) 8-4

2. Langley/Melo (MTSU) def. Butnarcuic/Pate (UTC) 8-3

3. Cowden/Morgan (MTSU) def. van de Bovenkamp/Parfitt, 8-4